During home games at Dodger Stadium, the barrel-chested pitcher turned barrel-chested Spanish broadcaster sits quietly in plainclothes -- usually a suit and tie with dark sunglasses -- in the corner of the press box, the dining area or the radio booth looking around with those trademark wide eyes, but trying to blend in at the same time.

He dislikes going on the field unless he is working. Interview requests? He does his best to avoid being in the spotlight these days.

"Why do you want to talk to me? I don't play anymore." he says.

The man behind the most famous craze in Los Angeles Dodgers history is surprisingly shy and not surprisingly most comfortable at the park in a suit that features stirrups and a ball cap, not a jacket and tie.

His time has come again.

It's been almost 24 seasons since Fernandomania swept the nation in 1981, but a mini-mania is on the horizon for a whole new generation.

Next week, Valenzuela, 43, will return to the dugout in uniform as the manager of the World Team in the Futures Game in Houston as part of All-Star weekend. He is also reportedly considering a comeback in the Mexican League this winter.

"I have never heard about the Futures Game before, but it's very interesting and I think it's a nice format for the kids," he said. "They invited me to be the manager and I think it's a great opportunity for me to participate, but also go back to a city and a team where I made a lot of beautiful memories in my life. A lot of good things happened in my career against Houston."

"I wasn't really paying attention to who was in the stands or wondering who was there. ..."

Born the youngest of 12 children in Navajoa, Mexico in 1960, Valenzuela was 17 years old when Dodgers super scout Mike Brito saw him pitch for the first time. Brito was in Mexico scouting another player, but was immediately impressed with the young left-hander.

The Dodgers had heard about Valenzuela and former general manager Al Campanis wanted the club to double-check on him.

"He didn't have the screwball at the time, but the thing that really impressed was that he loaded the bases with nobody out twice and he struck out the side two times," Brito said. "He blew guys away with an outstanding overhand breaking ball and I was like, 'Who the (heck) is this kid?' He is really something with that poise."

At the time, Valenzuela's fastball hovered around 82 to 84 mph, but his breaking ball had made him a star in the Mexican League. Even at a young age, he had pinpoint control and pitched like "a 30-year-old veteran," Brito said.

"I don't remember Mike seeing me for the first time," Valenzuela said. "I wasn't really paying attention to who was in the stands or wondering who was there. That was so long ago."

Valenzuela may not have been paying attention, but the Dodgers definitely were. The club purchased him from the Mexican League in 1979 for $135,000, according to Brito. The organization soon realized how talented he was, but they just as quickly realized he needed another pitch to complement his curve and fastball.

Campanis and Brito narrowed the choices to a split-fastball and screwball and decided on the screwball in large part because Valenzuela had a "loose" and flexible wrist well suited for the pitch.

Then came the task of showing him how to throw the screwball.

"I sent a pitcher named Babo Castillo to Arizona to teach Fernando the screwball and in one week Fernando was throwing the screwball better than Babo," Brito said. "Not only that, he had two velocities -- a slow one and a hard one. The slow one was more effective and was really hard to hit. He would have pitched in the big leagues anyway, but that pitch made him the superstar he was."

Valenzuela climbed through the minor league ranks at a rapid pace and made his big league debut on Sept. 15, 1980 in relief against Atlanta at the age of 19. He went on to pitch 10 times down the playoff stretch, including three times against the Houston Astros and finished with a 0.00 ERA in 17 2/3 innings.

He won two games that season and pitched 16 scoreless innings after allowing two unearned runs in his debut.

"When I started to play baseball I wanted to advance when I was ready, keep steady and I never tried to do too much," Valenzuela said. "That way, I was prepared and when I would reach a level, I wouldn't have too much pressure. I kept getting better and at a good pace so when I arrived to the big leagues, I was prepared to get the most I could out of the big leagues."

Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda recognized the young man's talent and put the rookie in the rotation for the 1981 season. But when Valenzuela took the mound that fateful Opening Day at home against Houston, he did more than just start another season. He marked the beginning of a nationwide phenomenon and colorful chapter in baseball history.

Fernandomania was born.

" It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever witnessed..."

Valenzuela threw a five-hit, 2-0 shutout against the Astros to start the 1981 campaign on his way to eight consecutive wins -- all complete games -- to start the season. Five of his first eight victories were shutouts and word quickly spread about the young pitching phenom in Los Angeles -- who also proved to be a capable hitter.

"Everybody wanted to see him, everybody wanted to meet him, and everybody wanted to see him pitch," Lasorda said. "Every team we went in to play, they were hoping to see him pitch. He drew a lot of fans. It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever witnessed, that Fernandomania."

Fans began to pack Dodger Stadium and the club quickly became one of the biggest attractions on the road. In each city the Dodgers visited, Valenzuela would hold a press conference and answer the same questions through his interpreter Jaime Jarrin, the club's Spanish broadcaster.

"It brought me back to the Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax days as far as fan excitement and media excitement at this young man who burst upon the scene, baffling National League hitters," said Steve Bremer, who headed the club's public relations staff during Valenzuela's rookie year. "Not only in the United States, but the foreign press was coming in because of the mania and there was no question with what he did with the fans in Mexico. [Former owner] Walter O'Malley always had the vision and wanted players of all ethnicity. Fernando was unbelievable in that role."

Brito said the mania should have been called a revolution because of the global impact and newfound interest in baseball caused by Valenzuela. The scout has never witnessed anything like Valenzuela and the 1981 season and said he will probably never will again.

"I know a lot of guys, but nobody has done what Fernando has done for baseball. People who didn't even like baseball started to show interest," Brito said. "People who liked football and soccer would hear Fernando's name and they started to follow baseball and Fernando. It was amazing. Something not only in United States and Mexico, but everywhere you'd go, everybody knew who Fernando was."

Valenzuela finished his 1981 rookie season 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA, earning the NL Cy Young and NL Rookie of Year awards. The All-Star also led the Dodgers to a World Series championship.

His hard work had paid off.

"When I started my career, I knew I was going to sacrifice a lot of things like seeing my family, traveling everywhere and spending a lot of time on a bus, but that's what you do to prepare for this game," he said. "But I chose the career and it was the best thing I did. It was very difficult, but I am glad I came to the United States because the challenge of coming to a new country and overcoming made my accomplishments more satisfying."

In 17 big league seasons, Valenzuela compiled a 173-153 record with a 3.54 ERA for the Dodgers, Angels, Orioles, Phillies, Padres and Cardinals. He threw a no-hitter for the Dodgers in 1990 and ranks among the all-time leaders in nearly all of the franchise's record books.

He retired from the Major Leagues 1997 and later spent two years playing for Hermosillo in the Mexican League. He joined Jarrin and Pepe Yniguez as a Spanish broadcaster for the Dodgers last season and he might play for Mexicali in Mexico this winter simply for the love of the game.

"If somehow what I did as a player helps players from Mexico and gives more recognition to Mexico, I am happy," he said. "When you do something, you should open doors for others. That's what players need."

As for Brito, he believes whether or not Valenzuela is enshrined in Cooperstown, he should be remembered as one of the all-time greats. Fernandomania helped save baseball.

"He could field, he could run, and he could hit," Brito said. "He didn't look like he could do it, but this guy did everything and he did it at a time baseball needed it. He was touched by God."

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.